1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medium issuing apparatus using a paper roll medium and an automatic teller machine using the apparatus or, in particular, to a medium issuing apparatus for issuing a medium such as a ticket or a receipt and an automatic teller machine, installed in a financial institution or the like outlet with a medium issuing apparatus, into which the customer inserts a card or the like to conduct transactions such as deposit and withdrawal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an automatic teller machine, installed in a financial institution or the like outlet, issues a receipt printed with the specifics of the transaction conducted by the customer. As part of the services offered to the customer, on the other hand, there is a demand for a medium issuing apparatus using a paper roll medium, and an automatic transaction machine using the apparatus, which can readily output and present, together with the receipt, a multiplicity of supplementary information including the transaction history of the customer, information on the services offered by the financial institution, information from the internet, etc.
The medium issuing apparatus using the paper roll medium for application to the automatic teller machine described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-153143 filed by the present applicant is configured to hold a plurality of paper rolls and comprises two paper roll holding sections with paper rolls set therein. In this medium issuing apparatus, the paper rolls are fed and rewound by paper roll drive mechanisms. The fed paper rolls are printed in a common printing mechanism and the paper rolls thus printed are cut off in a common cutting mechanism. The roll paper thus cut off (a cut piece) is transported by a common transport mechanism and ejected from a single common ejection opening 8.
The technology incorporated in this medium issuing apparatus for supplying the supplementary information to the customer is such that when a plurality of paper rolls or normally two paper rolls of the same width are set, one of the paper rolls is used to issue a receipt while the supplementary information is printed on the other paper roll in a common printing mechanism 4.
The method employed in the conventional medium issuing apparatus cannot use paper rolls, making up the medium, having different widths but uses a plurality of paper rolls having a single width, and thus fails to meet the requirement of individual customers such as banks desiring to issue a plurality of types of media having different widths.
Especially, the printing area of the conventional medium for receipts has a width of only about 15 cm which is insufficient to hold the supplementary information containing a great amount of data. In other words, the medium having the width of an A4 or letter size sheet, which can accommodate a greater number of printing lines, cannot be used. Further, a single sheet of paper is not sufficient to issue a great amount of information at a time. The method in which a sheet of the roll paper having a single width is issued a plurality of times is both complex and low in processing speed and imposes a considerable burden on the customer.
The fact that the shape of the paper roll holding unit is fixed, on the other hand, makes it difficult to freely design the medium issuing apparatus for other applications. Another factor forming a stumbling block to different applications of this apparatus is the arrangement of switches and a manual operating mechanism for maintenance of the printing mechanism (refilling the medium, removing a jam, etc.) on one side of the medium issuing apparatus.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a medium issuing apparatus, and an automatic teller machine using the apparatus, in which the operation of appropriately changing the width and the maximum diameter, the printing surface, etc. of the paper roll for issuing a medium, and changing the tandem arrangement or juxtaposition of the paper rolls can be performed with a single apparatus to meet the various customer requirements.
In order to achieve the object described above, according to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a medium issuing apparatus, using a paper roll medium, comprising a paper roll holding section for holding a plurality of paper rolls, a plurality of paper roll drive mechanisms for feeding out or rewinding the paper rolls, respectively, a common printing mechanism for printing the roll paper fed out from each paper roll drive mechanism, a common cutting mechanism for cutting off each roll paper to a predetermined length, a first common transport mechanism for transporting pieces of the roll paper cut by the common cutting mechanism, a temporary storage section for storing a plurality of cut pieces transported by the first common transport mechanism and capable of compressing the cut pieces into a bundle, a second common transport mechanism for transporting a plurality of cut pieces, in a bundle accumulated in the temporary storage section, a common ejection opening for ejecting a plurality of cut pieces in a bundle transported by the second common transport mechanism, a common receiving section for receiving a plurality of the cut pieces in a bundle remaining at the common ejection opening and a control unit for controlling the whole operation of the apparatus.
The holding member for holding the paper rolls in the paper roll holding section can be replaced on the apparatus as required, so that a plurality of the paper rolls may be arranged in tandem, or the juxtaposition with respect to the apparatus, or the width of a plurality of the paper rolls may be changed. Also, a plurality of paper roll drive mechanisms each may include a paper roll insertion guide member having a curved slope in an opposed relation to the base surface to widen the angle for receiving the paper rolls arriving from many directions. Further, in the case where a plurality of paper rolls are arranged in juxtaposition, the reference printing position of the common printing mechanism can be reversed laterally in accordance with the width of the paper rolls.
In a pair of upper and lower medium transport rollers arranged in the medium transport mechanism of the common receiving section, a circumferential groove having a trapezoidal section may be formed at a predetermined position of at least one of the medium transport rollers, and a flange having a wedge-shaped section with the forward end thereof adapted to enter the circumferential groove may be formed on the other medium transport roller at a position opposed to the circumferential groove. Then, a rib-shaped portion for preventing the medium from curling can be formed in the medium after it has passed through the transport rollers.
According to another aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the object described above, there is provided an automatic teller machine, using the medium issuing apparatus and operable by the customers, comprising a control unit connected on-line to a host computer, a customer operating section, a card operating section, a cash processing section, a deposit processing section, a medium issuing section and a host line processing section, wherein the medium issuing section includes a medium issuing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 5.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there are provided a medium issuing apparatus, using a paper roll medium, and an automatic teller machine using the apparatus, wherein the roll holding member built into the printing unit body and meeting various requirements is replaceable, and an insertion guide member having a curved guide wall is introduced to allow the insertion of the paper roll over a wider angle. Thus, it is possible to change the position of the paper roll, the maximum outer winding diameter of the paper roll, the tandem arrangement or juxtaposition of the paper rolls, the width of the paper roll and the winding direction of the paper roll (upward or downward). In this way, many variations can be provided in accordance with the customer requirements.
In addition, the use of the temporary storage section makes it possible to release a plurality of sheets of paper in bundle at a time.
Further, the freedom of design of the shape of the housing permits the maintenance work to be carried out from both sides of the apparatus, thus facilitating free design for different applications.